Have you heard of snake robots? Scientists and doctors are already using tiny snakes that coil through the human body armed with sharp surgical tools to perform operations on hearts, prostate cancer, and other diseased organs. The snake robots that carry tiny cameras, scissors and forceps, and even more advanced sensors are being developed.
The next generation of the robots will be wireless, and will explore inside your body on their own--- not attached to any cables. For now, they are powered by cables that humans control. Experts say the day is coming when some robots will roam around the body on their own. But the experts in robotics say the new creations work best when they are designed for very specific tasks.
Howie Choset has been researching and building robots, particularly snake robots. He believes that his snake robot and others like it can help reduce medical costs by making complex surgery faster and easier. Choset says his new design is smaller and more flexible than earlier models.
The size of surgical robots allows surgeons to operate with far less damage to the body, helping the patient heal faster. Choset has also built larger snake robots designed for search and rescue, or just exploration. They can climb poles and trees and then look around through a camera in the head and slither through places that humans cannot reach.
“ We sent our snake robots into these caves in the Red Sea to look for evidence of ancient Egyptian ships,” he said. “ To me, archeology is like search and rescue, but everyone has been dead for 5,000 years.”
The doctors are very excited about the potential for surgical robots to do things that humans can’t do. The variety of sensors available for surgical robots keeps expanding. As they get smaller, maybe one day they will be able to test chemicals or blood in the body, or even the electrical connections in nerves.
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A．The doctors carry out surgery using snake robots mainly for heart disease.
B．The doctors are very satisfied with the new snake robots during surgery.
C．Snake robots are completely free of human control today.
D．Other supplementary appliances will be added to snake robots.
2.Which of the following is true, according to the passage?
A．Snake robots are only used in the medical field.
B．Snake robots can reduce the patients’ medical costs.
C．Scientists are uncertain about the prospects for snake robots.
D．Scientists are forced to spend a lot of time researching snake robots.
3.How can snake robots work best, according to the passage?
A．When they carry tiny cameras, scissors and forceps.
B．When they are operated by experienced doctors.
C．When they are given a wireless function.
D．When they are designed for particular tasks.
4.Why do we know about Howie Choset, according to the passage?
A．He thought snake robots of different sizes can be used for different types of surgery.
B．He thought patients’ pain had been slightly reduced with the help of snake robots.
C．He also made snake robots for search, rescue and exploration.
D．He is very interested in researching ancient Egyptian ships.
5.The writers attitude towards the new technology is ______.
A．optimistic B．doubtful C．objective D．negative
Artistic Skates
Artistic roller skates are made up of a leather boot, very strong sole plate, and a jump bar that adds extra force. The boot sits a few inches above the ankle, providing more support for the foot.
Jam Skates
Jam skates are the most different roller skates because of their special low-cut design and lack of toe stop. That’s right: there is no brake. But the original jam skate design was different, resembling an artistic skate. Jam skating is more about personal expression rather than speed skating. The free-flowing movements of jam skating have been given many names. But regardless of its name, jam skating has always been about expression and passion.
Speed Skates
A speed skate resembles a shoe. The cut of the boot is lower. Speed skates typically offer lightweight plates to reduce exhaustion for skating long distances. Jam skates have preferred speed skates because they offer a similar design and freedom of movement. The most obvious difference is that a speed skate features a toe stop, unlike a jam skate that uses a toe plug.
Rhythm Skates
Rhythm skates are similar to jam skates. The difference between them lies in the boot design. In fact, the boot design looks very similar to an artistic skate, essentially providing you with the ankle support benefits of an artistic skate, but the freedom of movement of a jam skate. If you want a skate that allows you to move to the beat, which added ankle support, the rhythm skate is the ideal choice.
1.Which of the following is NOT a feature of jam skates?
A．They have no brake
B．They lack a toe stop
C．They have no toe plug.
D．They have a unique, low-cut design.
2.If you want to skate to music, which of the following is the best choice?
A．Rhythm skates B．Jam skates C．Speed skates D．Artistic skates
3.Speed skates are popular with jam skates because _____.
A．they have a high boot cut
B．they allow free-flowing movement.
C．they are able to stabilize the foot
D．they can help jam skates reduce tiredness.
4.What is a common feature of rhythm and jam skates?
A．They both offer some support for the ankles.
B．They both have a similar boot design.
C．They are both suitable for free-flowing movement.
D．They are both about personal expression and passion.
5.What can you learn from the passage about jam skates?
A．The original jam skate design has hardly changed.
B．The original jam skate design was similar to an artistic skate.
C．Jam skates have gradually become a type of speed skate.
D．Jam skating has many names because it’s about expression and passion.
目前，越来越多的青少年参加各类电视节目的才艺表演（talent shows）。对此，中学生的看法各不相同。请根据下列提示写一篇短文，并阐述自己的观点。
|
赞同 |
不赞同 |
|
1．丰富社会经验2．增强自信 3．全面发展 |
1．模仿多，创新少 2．沉迷于“明星梦” 3．不利于学习 |
注意：1．词数100左右。2．适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。3．参考词汇: 模仿imitate
[1] At some point in your life you are bound to be required to give a speech. But are you capable of having the effect on an audience that you want to have? Here are some things to keep in mind.
[2] You may think it's good to create an informal effect, or even that it' s cool to use filler words (填充词) such as “like” and “you know”. But in reality, these words add nothing, and create the danger of making you sound foolish and uninformed.
[3] Pauses can be of significant help in adding depth to your speech, but only when they are used at the right moments. Pausing suddenly and with a panicked look will just make your audience uneasy. Also, a very long silence is the last thing you need. Make sure that your pauses are nicely placed if you want to sound like a speaker who has absolute control of what he is talking about.
[4] You also need to be careful when you switch to a new idea during the course of a speech. Often speakers ________such as “well”, “so”, and so on, when they move on to new ideas. My advice, however, is to avoid such words and to try to think of a way of making a tradition that is unique to the topic of your speech.
[5] Finally, avoid “umming” and “ahhing” he way many people do when they give speeches. You want to sound confident and assured, and the way not to do so is to put an “urn” or an “ah” in the middle of every sentence.
1.What is the text mainly about? (No more than 8 words)
_________________________________________________________________________
2.Complete the following statement with proper words. (No more than 3 words)
It's careful to switch to ________________________ when you give a speech.
3.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with proper words. (No more than 5 words)
__________________________________________________________________________
4.Why does the author say it' s not good to use filler words? (No more than 12 words)
_______________________________________________________________________
5.What does the word "they" (paragraph 3) probably refer to? (No more than 2 words)
_________________________________________________________________________
How many times have you got upset because someone wasn't doing his job，because your child isn't behaving？How many times have you been irritated (恼怒的) when you've planned something carefully and things didn't go as you'd hoped?
This kind of anger and irritation happens to all of us—it’s part of the human experiences.
One thing that irritates me is when people talk during a movie，or cut me off in traffic. Actually, I have a lot of these little annoyances—don't we all？And it isn’t always easy to find peace when you’ve become upset or irritated.
Let me tell you a little secret to finding peace of mind: see the glass as already broken .
See, the cause of our stress, anger and irritation is that things don't go the way we like, the way we expect them to. Think of how many times this has been true for you. And so the solution is simple：expect things to go wrong, expect things to be different than we hoped or planned，expect the unexpected to happen. And accept it.
One quick example: on our recent trip to Japan, I told my kids to expect things to go wrong—they always do on a trip. I told them, “See it as part of the adventure.”
And this worked like a charm. When we inevitably(不可避免地) took the wrong train on a foreignlanguage subway system, or when it rained on the day we went to Disney Sea, or when we took three trains and walked 10 blocks only to find the National Children's Castle closed on Mondays...they said, “It's part of the adventure！” And it was all OK—we didn't get too bothered.
So when the nice glass you bought inevitably falls and breaks some day, you might get upset. But things will be different, if you see the glass as already broken, from the day you get it. You know it'll break some day, so from the beginning, see it as already broken. Be a timetraveler, or someone with timetraveling vision, and see the future of this glass, from this moment until it inevitably breaks. And when it breaks, you won't be upset or sad—because it was already broken, from the day you got it. And you’ll realize that every moment you have with it is precious.
1.The author would probably agree that________.
A．we should control our anger and irritation
B．we must get well prepared for the future
C．optimism can help us overcome our anger and irritation
D．anger and irritation is a natural part of our life
2.The purpose of the author is to________.
A．tell us his own experience in life
B．advise us how to find peace of mind
C．tell us a happy trip he took with his children
D．ask us to see things from both sides
3.By the underlined part (in Para.3), the author tells us to________.
A．get ready for the worst result of things
B．enjoy the process of things
C．expect little from life
D．find the relationship between cause and effect
4.The author’s children could enjoy their trip to Japan because________.
A．everything went smoothly
B．they had a lot of adventures
C．they had expected things to go wrong
D．they could soon get used to the customs there
5.We can learn from the passage that the author________.
A．often gets angry in his life
B．can adjust his state of mind accordingly
C．always expects others to act in his way
D．always suffers from his anger and irritation
It’s impossible to determine how many people would have lost their lives without the contribution of African-American inventor Dr Charles Drew.
Charles Drew was born on June 3, 1904, in Washington, DC. His early interest was in education, but he was also an outstanding athlete. While in college, he was awarded as the man who contributed the most to sports during his four years in school. Drew’s sister Elsie suffered from tuberculosis(肺结核) and died in 1920. Her death influenced his decision to study medicine.
After becoming a doctor and working as a college instructor, Drew went to Columbia University, where he earned his Doctor of Medical Science degree. During this time he became involved in research on blood and blood transfusions.
At Columbia, he wrote a paper on “banked blood”, in which he described a technique he developed for the long-term preservation of blood plasma. Before his discovery, blood could not be stored for more than two days because of the rapid breakdown of red blood cells. Drew had discovered that by separating the plasma from the whole blood and then refrigerating them separately, they could be combined a week later for a blood transfusion. Drew became the first African American to receive a PhD in medical science.
After World War II broke out, Drew was called upon to put his techniques into practice. He was named a project director for the American Red Cross but soon quit his post after the government issued an order that blood taken from white donors should be separated from that of black donors.
On April 1, 1950, after he attended the annual free clinic at the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital, he and other three physicians decided to drive back home. As he was tired from spending the night before in the operating room, he lost control of his car. Drew was badly injured and was taken to Alamance General Hospital in Burlington, North Carolina. He was pronounced dead half an hour after he first received medical attention. Drew's funeral was held on April 5, 1950, at the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, DC.
But contrary to popular thought, he was not refused a blood transfusion by an all-white hospital. He indeed received a transfusion but was beyond the help of the doctors attending to him. As Dr. John Ford, one of the doctors who survived the accident, later explained, “We all received the very best of care. The fact that he was a Black did not in any way limit the care that was given to him.” Over the years, Drew has been considered one of the most honored figures in the medical field.
1.According to the passage, ________ might have contributed to the invention of blood banks.
A．the combination of blood cells
B．the rapid breakdown of red blood cells
C．the development of refrigerating technique
D．the technique of separating plasma from the whole blood
2.By saying “contrary to the popular thought” in the last paragraph, the writer _______.
A．can’t understand the doctors’ decision
B．indicates his concern about the popular thought
C．feels disappointed with the all-white hospital
D．means what the doctors did was out of expectation
3.We can learn from the passage that Dr Charles Drew is best remembered by people as _______. .
A．an outstanding athlete B．a college instructor
C．a medical researcher D．a project director
4.What conclusion can we draw from the passage?
A. Charles Drew died in a medical accident.
B. African Americans were still treated unfairly in the 1940s.
C. Charles Drew was the first African American to receive a PhD.
D. Physicians refused to give Charles Drew medical attention because he was a black.
5.In which section of a magazine can we most probably find the passage?
A．People B．Health C．Culture D．Entertainment
